adidas x Parley
For the oceans Showcase sustainability innovation At un climate change event
Herzogenaurach, 30th June 2015 Yesterday, adidas celebrated its recently announced partnership with Parley for the Oceans in the unique surroundings of the United Nations headquarters and showcased an innovative footwear concept born from this collaboration. Parley for the Oceans is an organisation in which creators, thinkers and leaders come together to raise awareness about the state of the oceans and to collaborate on projects that can protect and conserve them. As founding member, adidas supports Parley for the Oceans. Yesterday, Parley Talks titled ‘Oceans. Climate. Life.’ were hosted by the United Nations in New York at the General Assembly Hall, on the occasion of a high-level event on climate change, convened by the President of the General Assembly. Environmentalists, creatives, scientists and entrepreneurs gave a briefing on the dire state of the oceans and climate change while Parley collaborators presented their visions, initiatives, projects, inventions and solutions. The UNxParley event included an intimate press gathering where adidas Group Executive Board member responsible for Global Brands Eric Liedtke and Parley for the Oceans founder
Cyrill Gutsch talked about the partnership and showcased a unique prototype product. Adidas created a world first with a shoe upper made entirely of yarns and filaments reclaimed and recycled from ocean waste and illegal deepsea gillnets. Parley’s partner organisation Sea Shepherd retrieved the nets after a 110-day expedition tracking an illegal poaching vessel, which culminated off the coast of West Africa. The concept shoe illustrates the direction adidas and Parley for the Oceans are taking, ahead of consumer-ready ocean plastic products being revealed later this year. Adidas created a world first with a shoe upper made entirely of recycled ocean plastic and gillnets
INFORMATION “At Parley for the Oceans, we want to establish the oceans as a fundamental part of the debate around climate change. Our objective is to boost public awareness and to inspire new collaborations that can contribute to protect and preserve the oceans,” said Cyrill Gutsch. “We are extremely proud that adidas is joining us in this mission and is putting its creative force behind this partnership to show that it is possible to turn ocean plastic into something cool.” Eric Liedtke, who is also a passionate member of the Parley for the Oceans Steering Committee, said: “We are incredibly excited to join Parley for the Oceans as they bring the cause of the oceans to the attention of the United Nations. Adidas has long been a leader in sustainability, but this partnership allows us to tap into new areas and create innovative materials and products for our athletes. We invite everyone to join us on this journey to clean up the oceans.”
Cyrill Gutsch | (founder of Parley for the Oceans)
Adidas is the founding member of Parley for the Oceans. Eric Liedtke, Executive Board member responsible for Global Brands, is also a passionate member of the Parley for the Oceans Steering Committee.
Speakers
at the Parley Talks event ‘Oceans. Climate. Life’ Cyrill Gutsch (founder of Parley for the Oceans); Captain Paul Watson; Eric Liedtke; Pharrell Williams; Chris Jordan; Sylvia Earle; David Rothschild; Louie Psihoyos; Tim Coombs; Ora Ito; Iain Kerr; John Warner; Sid Chakravarty.
Our partnership with Parley for the oceans is based on three pillars: · Communication and education: We will work closely to raise awareness about the issue of ocean pollution through the so-called ‘Parley Talks’, workshops and other events. We will also engage consumers, athletes, artists, designers, actors, musicians, scientists and environmentalists to raise their voice and contribute their skills for the ocean cause. · Research and Innovation: By partnering with Parley for the Oceans we are contributing to a great environmental cause, but at the same time we will co-create new fabrics from ocean plastic waste which we will gradually but constantly integrate into our product. Our ultimate goal is inline usage. · Direct actions against ocean plastic pollution: We are supporting Parley for the Oceans in identifying and funding local organisations which are active in the area of ocean plastic collection. About the Adidas Group’s approach to sustainability. The Adidas Group’s sustainability strategy is rooted in the Group’s values – performance, passion, integrity and diversity. It is built on the achievements and learnings from previous years, while taking into account the societal landscape and future global trends.
The four pillars of the adidas Group’s strategy are: • People: We positively influence the lives of our employees, factory workers and people living in the communities where we have a business presence. • Product: We find better ways to create our products – mainly through innovation, increased use of more sustainable materials and efficiencies. • Planet: We reduce the environmental footprint of both our own operations and our suppliers’ factories. • Partnership: We engage with critical stakeholders and collaborate with partners to improve our industry.
For more information about the adidas Group’s continuing efforts, visit: http://www. adidasgroup.com/en/sustainability/managing-sustainability/ general-approach/.
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INFORMATION Adidas and sustainability – activity examples: • In 2014, the adidas Group used more sustainable cotton than ever before, as the company sourced more than 30% of all its cotton as Better Cotton, exceeding the originally planned 25% target. The adidas Group has committed to source 100% of cotton across all product categories in all its brands as sustainable cotton by 2018. The adidas Group is a founding member of the Better Cotton Initiative. • Since 2012, we have drastically increased our use of recycled polyester fabric in our apparel products – at the end of 2014, we used roughly 11 million yards of recycled polyester. That’s equivalent to roughly 7 million adidas T-shirts, which we have been able to produce using recycled polyester derived from plastic bottles – ensuring they will never wind up in our oceans. We will continue to increase the use of recycled polyester even more in the next years and the partnership with Parley will accelerate this process. • In 2014, we brought sustainability to retail when we opened our first ‘green’ retail concept in the HomeCourt store in Nuremberg. The store is equipped with a number of resource- and energy-saving features and installations. Additionally, we have decided to phase out the use of plastic bags in our own retail stores, which will start in 2016.
Contacts: Media Relations Investor Relations Jan Runau Sebastian Steffen Chief Corporate Communication Officer Vice President Investor Relations Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-3830 Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-76622 Katja Schreiber Christian Stöhr Senior Director Corporate Communication Director Investor Relations Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-3810 Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-4989 Yifeng Wang Manager Investor Relations Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-3057 Visit our website: www.adidas-group.com
adidas and Parley for the Oceans stop the industry’s waiting game On the occasion of COP21, adidas and Parley for the Oceans showcase strategic sustainability for the industry Paris, December 8th, 2015 Today, at the Parley Talks on the occasion of COP21, adidas and Parley for the Oceans showcased an innovative footwear concept, the 3D-printed Ocean Plastic shoe midsole, to demonstrate how the industry can re-think design and contribute to stop ocean plastic pollution. “World leaders forging an agreement is wonderful, but we shouldn’t need to be told to do the right thing. The industry can’t afford to wait for directions any longer. Together with the network of Parley for the Oceans we have started taking action and creating new sustainable materials and innovations for athletes. The 3D-printed Ocean Plastic shoe midsole stands for how we can set new industry standards if we start questioning the reason to be of what we create,” said Eric Liedtke, adidas Group Executive Board member responsible for Global Brands. “We want to bring everyone from the industry to the table and create sustainable solutions for big global problems.”
The concept shoe consists of an upper made with ocean plastic content and a midsole which is 3D printed using recycled polyamid and gill net content.
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The adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry, offering a broad portfolio of footwear, apparel and hardware for sport and lifestyle around the core brands adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade and CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the Group employs more than 53,000 people across the globe and generated sales of € 14.5 billion in 2014. The adidas Group’s sustainability programme regularly enjoys recognition by leading socially responsible investment rating agencies such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the FTSE4Good index. In 2015, for the 16th consecutive time, the adidas Group was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and, at the beginning of 2015, the adidas Group ranked third among ‘The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’.
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The shoe was unveiled at a press conference which anticipated a bigger event organised by Parley for the Oceans and titled ‘Parley for the Oceans x COP21 - Oceans. Climate. Life.’ “2015 is our year, the year of the Oceans: the ocean movement successfully brought the cause onto the COP21 agenda in Paris. Protecting life underwater became the 14th development goal of the United Nations” said Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans. “With a framework of political goodwill in place, it is the right moment to transform words into action. Therefore, Parley in Paris is all about updating knowledge, sharing visions, fine-tuning strategies, creating concepts and forging collaborations in order to kickstart change. We are really excited to have adidas supporting us in this journey and showing how you can take concrete steps in the right direction.”
As founding member, adidas supports Parley for the Oceans in its education and communication efforts, as well as its comprehensive Ocean Plastic Program (A.I.R.,
Be a hero, not a villain Chose what who where now.
Immortal villain. Used for minutes, lives on for millennia in the future fossil record
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AVOID The adidas Group will phase out the use of plastic bags in its own retail stores. The phase-out has started already and will be completed by the end of Q1 2016. Together with its partner COTY, adidas will end the use of plastic microbeads across all its body care products by December 31st, 2015. The company has stopped the use of plastic bottles for meetings at its Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. INTERCEPT In November 2015, a group of 20 employees attended the Parley Ocean School, a unique programme that blends ocean activism with experiential learning and activities in a marine environment. Employees helped retrieve plastic debris from coastal areas; furthermore, thanks to Parley Talks with the experts, employees learned about the state of the oceans and are now acting as Parley ambassadors. The company is looking at extending this initiative to more employees going forward. REDESIGN Prior to the 3D-printed Ocean Plastic shoe midsole, adidas and Parley for the Oceans celebrated their partnership in the unique surroundings of the United Nations headquarters and showcased a world first with a shoe upper made entirely of yarns and filaments reclaimed and recycled from ocean waste and illegal deep-sea gillnets.
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adidas breaks the mould with 3D-printed performance footwear
Futurecraft creates the ultimate personalised shoe
Adidas today unveiled the future of performance footwear with Futurecraft 3D, a unique 3D-printed running shoe midsole which can be tailored to the cushioning needs of an individual’s foot. The 3D concept is part of the ‘Futurecraft series’, a forward-looking initiative that places open source collaboration and craftsmanship at the heart of design to drive innovation across all elements of production. In its 3D concept, which provides the ultimate personalised experience for all athletes, adidas created a unique combination of material and process. The production breakthrough will take the running shoe standard to the next level, offering unprecedented individualised support and cushioning for every foot, to enable athletes to perform at their best.
Imagine walking into an adidas store, running briefly on a treadmill and instantly getting a 3D-printed
running shoe – this is the ambition of the adidas 3D-printed midsole. Creating a flexible, fully breathable carbon copy of the athlete’s own footprint, matching exact contours and pressure points, it will set the athlete up for the best running experience. Linked with existing data sourcing and footscan technologies, it opens unique opportunities for immediate in-store fittings.
“Futurecraft 3D is a prototype and a statement of intent. We have used a one-of-its-kind combination of process and material in an entirely new way. Our 3D-printed midsole not only allows us to make a great running shoe, but also to use performance data to drive truly bespoke experiences, meeting the needs of any athlete.”
- Eric Liedtke, executive board member of Adidas AG, responsible for global brands
The Futurecraft 3D story is the first chapter of the adidas Futurecraft series, which demonstrates the brand’s commitment to innovating throughout all areas of production.
“Futurecraft is our sandbox. It is how we challenge ourselves every day to explore the boundaries of our craft. Driving material and process innovation, bringing the familiar into the future. Marrying the qualities of handcrafting and prototyping with the limitless potential of new manufacturing technologies. Futurecraft is stripped back – fast, raw and real – it is our approach to design.”
- Paul Gaudio, creative director, adidas
True to the Futurecraft vision of creative collaboration, Futurecraft 3D is possible through an open source partnership with Materialise, a pioneer and leading specialist in 3D printing. The Futurecraft initiative will announce more groundbreaking design innovations in the coming six months and further support adidas’ ambition to be the best sports brand in the world.
Future Craft Leather “Futurecraft Leather is all about creating something new and unique, out of something familiar.�
Herzogenaurach, 30th June 2015 adidas today unveiled Futurecraft Leather, a revolutionary combination of a high-tech manufacturing process and traditional material to create a completely seamless upper that enables flex, support and comfort in one single piece of material. adidas honours the innovation with an exclusive leather edition of the iconic Originals Superstar. Using a milling technique traditionally applied to metal, polymer and resin components in industrial manufacturing, Futurecraft Leather transforms a material synonymous with the heritage of the brand into a resource for advanced performance footwear.
Futurecraft Leather provides the potential for adidas to tailor leather more precisely than ever before to individual needs by creating a fit to the exact geometry of the foot. Milled to varying thicknesses, the seamless leather upper provides flexibility and stability exactly where it is needed. The digital milling process gently strips away at a single piece of leather, creating precision-engineered fit with the added benefit of drastically reducing adhesive use. This unique process offers the opportunity for athletes to have bespoke leather footwear, which can be milled exclusively for them in real time, from leather of their choice. Futurecraft Leather is the result of a collaboration between adidas, industrial designer Alexander Taylor and shoe designer Joachim de Callatay. “Futurecraft Leather is all about creating something new Wand unique, out of something familiar. The obsession to create, and a deep emotional relationship with leather, is what unites adidas, Alexander and Joachim. The digitally automated milling process allows us to stretch the limits of our craft, bringing new form and function to an iconic material. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 45th birthday of the Superstar,” commented Paul Gaudio, Creative Director, adidas. Paying homage to the Superstar’s years since its inception, 45 pairs of the special edition Futurecraft Leather Superstars will be available at Dover Street Market in New York, London and Tokyo as of November 7th, 2015. Futurecraft Leather is the second chapter in the Futurecraft series, which demonstrates the brand’s commitment to innovating throughout all areas of production. The initiative will announce more ground-breaking design innovations in the coming six months and further support adidas’ ambition to be the number one sports brand.
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PACKAGING AND PAPER One key 2015 target of the adidas Group is to consistently reduce the use of paper.
Major accomplishments made within packaging for footwear are summarised below for brand adidas and Reebok:
In 2012, we ran two projects, one consolidating hangtag shapes and one introducing single-wall transportation cartons for apparel garments. Both projects were started in 2010, and have successfully contributed towards minimising the use of paper and reducing costs, while maintaining quality.
ADIDAS Transport cartons:
HANGTAG CONSOLIDATION
Overall recycled content is 95% based on weight. Most shoe boxes are made from 100% recycled fibre + clay coating/varnish; the ink used is soy-origin and water-based Between 38% and 60% weight reduction for shoe boxes since 2006. No use of glues
On the footwear side, the adidas Group has been enhancing the content of sustainable materials in shoeboxes for many years. Beginning with the use of soy-based and water-based inks through to 100% recycled cardboards.
Contain 100% recycled material 33% reduction in weight since 2006 Shoe boxes:
Ball boxes: 95% recycled material based on weight 100% recycled fibre + clay coating/varnish No hangtag policy except for product warning labels
REEBOK Contain 100% recycled material Shoe boxes: Overall recycled content is 95% based on weight. Most shoe boxes are made from 100% recycled fibre + clay coating/varnish No use of glues